Read opposing arguments from Sports Geek and Bleacher Fan about which college basketball conferences they believe are the toughest to win this season.
I have long been a believer that the ACC is without a doubt the best conference in college basketball. For as much heat as the conference takes in football, it rightfully gets that much credit in basketball. Living in the South, I have always believed that. Going to a Duke-North Carolina game on Tobacco Road is on my bucket list of sports things to do, eventually. However, I do not believe it is the toughest conference to win this season. Gahhhhh!!! I cannot believe I am writing this. To our loyal readers in the South, please do not call me a traitor! But without much doubt in my mind at this time, the toughest conference to win is the Big East.
Let’s take a look at the Big East standings through Sunday. Look at the tremendous depth the conference currently has. Fourteen, yes FOURTEEN, of the sixteen teams have at least ten wins to this point and we are not even halfway through the conference season. Eleven of those teams have at least three conference wins. Winning in this conference, at home or on the road, is quite a chore. Some may say this conference is as top heavy as some models, but that is an inaccurate statement. UConn, currently sitting at 13-6 overall and 3-3 in the conference just knocked off number one ranked Texas on Saturday. Yet, that same UConn team is currently ninth in the Big East. Six teams currently have 15 wins, and folks, we are not even in February yet.
In the Associated Press Top 25, five Big East teams are currently ranked in the top 25 through Sunday, with two (Syracuse and Villanova) in the top five. All five of those teams are ranked in the top 12 at the time of this debate (the new poll comes out later Monday). The ACC has four teams ranked (Duke, Clemson, Georgia Tech, and UNC) with all four of those teams losing at least one game last week. The Big Ten has four teams ranked. Can you try and name them? (It is Michigan State, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Ohio State.) Are you asleep now?
In the latest NCAA tournament projections by ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi, eight Big East teams are projected to be in the Big Dance. That is compared to seven for the ACC and five for the Big Ten. Hmmm, what is the hardest conference to win?!
The Big East also has some of the nation’s top players, with Luke Harangody, Jerome Dyson, and Scottie Reynolds all scoring over 18 points a game. Harangody is actually second in the nation in scoring at 24.7 points per game. Greg Monroe, who has really been impressive at times for Georgetown, is averaging a double-double.
There is still a long way to go, and lots of rivalry games to be played. But as the college basketball world standings sit right now, the Big East is without question the toughest conference to win.
[...] opposing arguments from Loyal Homer and Sports Geek about which college basketball conferences they believe are the toughest to win [...]
[...] opposing arguments from Loyal Homer and Bleacher Fan about which college basketball conferences they believe are the toughest to win [...]
It’s hard to argue against the Big East this year. Did you all see Da Cuse last night against the Hoyas? I love the ACC but to this point, with UNC struggling, the conference is taking a hit nationally in reputation. Long term, its close between the two, but this year, its going to be extremely tough to win that Big East tournament
Sure, the Big East may be the best. But, isn’t the ACC still the hardest to win, the conference that is still the most up in the air?
I think the Big East is without a doubt the toughest conference in college basketball….again. And it’s supposed to be a down year for the league. Georgetown’s drubbing of Duke on Saturday was another example of the depth of the league. Even lowly Rutgers was able to knock off Notre Dame today at home. No matter who the game is against, you better bring your A-game in league play. A bunch of showdowns are coming up in league play in the next few weeks with WVU-Pitt, Syracuse-Villanova, Villanova-WVU. Good stuff.
The Big East has some excellent teams, without a doubt. Certainly some bizarre game outcomes this week in the conference. I still believe the Big East has the best teams, but the toughest conference to figure out is still the ACC. It is more wide open regarding the number of teams in the conference with a realistic chance to win the conference.
Thanks for the comment thereandback207. Part of me wanted to call Bleacher Fan and Sports Geek yesterday after Georgetown’s drubbing of Duke. Both of them dissed on Georgetown in our production meeting last week!